When I Tell U I Left Everything For This-

Anitun Tabu

Goddess of wind and rain 

Animation is a mix of cut-out and hand-drawn elements.

Forgot to put this up here oops.

Anyway, a manananggal for mythsona! 

First time doing mixed media. I had a lot of fun doing this. Would like to hear your thoughts on it :))

-Luna

Trese, as a story that features various mythological creatures from the Philippines, may give the impression that all these beings belong to only one group. That's not how it is. For one, Ibu and Talagbusao are not from the same pantheon.

This book (PDF) is an introduction to Philippine folk spirituality and religion.

Here's an excerpt relevant to the series.

[Edit 6/14/2021] Just checked. Yep, this is definitely one of Budjette Tan's references. From the Trese: Mass Murders (Visprint ed) afterword:

While doing research for Trese's next villain, I read about the Talagbusao, the god of war, in "The Soul Book" and he sounded like a formidable foe. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me that the Kambal needed to be more powerful than any aswang or enkanto.

Transcription:

Assistant Deities and Powers

Below the Lord of the Upper Sky is a host of anitos or diwatas, many of whom can do as they please the more distant they are from him. According to Barton, who studied the Ifugao spirit world (1946), these spirits are believed to be immortal, to change form at will, to become invisible, and to transport themselves quickly through space. There are other attributes associated with these powerful spirits. While they can diagnose and cure illness, they can afflict men with misfortune, ill-luck, disease. They can recover a soul if it has been carried off, but they can also coax away a person's soul. Though they prevent the dead from molesting the living, they too cause death. Indeed they can devour parts of the living human body. Men's minds they influence to suggest courses of conduct, such as payment of debt without losing face; passions they dampen so that men will not fight during a celebration; and stomachs they tie to dull the appetite for food and drink. Those who propitiate them know that these invisible presences can increase rice even after it has been stored in the granary, ward off trespassers, make the hunt safe, and bring victory in battle.

Powerful spirits roughly divide into three categories: ancestor spirits, nature spirits, guardian spirits.

Spirits of Ancestral Heroes

Some ancestors, particularly those who were outstanding in farming, hunting, warfare and the arts, acquired more and more powers in the memory of their descendants as time went on. They became fabulous beings. The more illustrious hero-spirits arc remembered in the great epics. Others arc remembered as culture heroes who taught their people new skills.

Some ancestral heroes (Cole 1916; de los Reyes 1909):

Lumabat - first Bagobo mortal to attain the Skyworld (Cole 1916).

Handiong - the hero of the Bikol epic who freed the land from the ravages of wild animals, brought Bikolanos rice, and planted the fruits.

Lumawig - taught the Bontok headhunting, agriculture, the art of building council houses and men's dwellings, and a code of ethics.

Bantugan - the charming, indestructible, much-wedded hero who could repulse any invasion. His cult probably began when the Maranaws were still animist.

Nature Spirits

Not all ancestral spirits become deified. Many remain nameless spirits residing in dark majestic trees and in the deep woods.

Nature Spirits reside in the natural environment, such as trees, rocks, crags, rivers and volcanoes. Humanlike, but much more powerful, these unseen beings are credited with feelings and sensibilities. Accordingly they may be offended and thus cause harm, or they may be propitiated and their friendship gained. Some spirits are represented as being sensitive to a fault as many Filipinos are when confronted with an unfamiliar or unpleasant situation. People do create spirits according to their likeness. On the other hand Frank Lynch, the anthropologist, says that the Filipino's care in handling interpersonal relations may in fact be the result rather than the cause of this belief in an environment filled with sensitive spirits (1970). In moving about, he takes care not to displease the many invisibles who could punish him.

Nature spirits can be either malevolent or beneficent. As in Philippine society as a whole, it all depends on how you deal with them. If you ignore them and hurt their dignity, they can make you sick; however, if you acknowledge them and ask permission to pass by and give them offerings on occasion, then they will reward you.

Some nature spirits:

The Lord of the Mound - spirit of an old man who lives in a termite mound. Throughout prehistoric Southeast Asia, the earth mound was a locus of power probably because of its phallic shape. "Tabi, tabi po baka kayo mabunggo" (Excuse me, please, lest I bump you) is the polite way to pass one of these inhabited hills. Though invisible, the nuno can be grazed and thus retaliate with a fever or skin rashes.

The Tree Dwellers - Spirits reportedly resided in trees. Thus the Mandayas, who are the largest ethnic group in southwestern Mindanao, believe that tagbanuwa and tagamaling are spirits who dwell in caves and balete trees. The belief persists to this day even among Christian Filipinos. The Ilokano pugot and the Tagalog kapre are gigantic, cigar-smoking black spirits who sit in deserted houses and up a balete or banyan tree with feet dangling to the ground. They can, however, assume any size they want including that of an infant. Engkantos also dwell in trees. But the term itself and the description of them as tall, fair-skinned and light-haired beings with high-bridged noses is post-hispanic. Engkantos, male or female, sometimes fall in love with mortals and lavish gifts on them (Ramos 1971).

The Babes in the Woods- probably the souls of foetuses or dead children. They arc called by the Ilokanos kibaan. The creature is a foot high, dwells in the fields, can be scalded with boiling water, and even die. The kibaan gift friends with gold, a cloak that confers invisibility and a large cup of coconut which is inexhaustible. To those who throw hot water at them, the kibaan scatter powder which produces a disagreeable affliction (de los Reyes 1909). Closely related is the Tagalog patianak which wails in the forest, like a baby, but inflicts harm. Common in pre-Christian times was the practice of exposing infirm deformed babies in the fields and forests (Alcina 1960). Their heart-wrenching wailing must have given rise to these beliefs.

The Bloodthirsty and Implacable

Among traditional Filipinos, the embodiment of evil is a being that is neither fully human nor fully animal. It stands upright like human beings and has a face; but it preys on human flesh and makes the living sick so that when they die there is carrion for food. Unlike the devil of the Judaeo-Christian-Moslem tradition, this being does not harm the soul by tempting it to sin. The death it causes is physical rather than spiritual. Other spirits can be negotiated with: offerings and kind words win their toleration if not help. It is not possible to do so with these implacable beings. Thus people fear them the most.

The busaw feared by the Bagobos of Davao, people the air, the mountains and the forest. They are limitless in number. Most malignant is the busaw called tigbanua. One eye gapes in the middle of the forehead; a hooked chin two spans long upturns to catch the drops of blood that drip from the mouth; and coarse black hair bristles on the body (Benedict 1916). It frequents graves, empty houses and solitary mountain trails. Indeed it may make an appearance at any place outside the safety of one's home.

Guardian Spirits

They are believed to preside over specific human activities such as birth, marriage, and death; over hunting, fishing, farming and fighting. Beneficent and powerful, guardian spirits generally rule from the sky; some, however, stay in their areas of responsibility on earth or in the underworld.

SOME GUARDIAN GODS

ON THE FARM

lkapati- Tagalog goddess of fertility. guardian anito of agriculture

Magbangal - Bukidnon planter god who became the constellation that appears to signal the start of the planting season

Damolag - an anito of the early Zambals who protects the fruiting rice from winds and typhoons

Lakan-bakod - Tagalog guardian god of the fruits of the earth who dwells m certam kinds of plants used as fences. Some anitos carry the title "Lakan" or Prince They could have been deified kinglets

Pamahandi - protector of carabaos and horses of the Bukidnon.

WHEN FISHING

Amansinaya - anito of fishermen of the ancient Tagalogs to whom they offer their first catch. Hence the term pa-sinaya ("for Sinaya") still used today. Following the theory of god-making, Amansinaya could be the soul of a maiden who was drowned and became an anito of the water.

Libtakan- god of sunrise. sunset and good weather of the Manobo.

Makabosog - a merciful diwata of the Bisayans who provides food for the hungry. (He was once a chief in the Araut River on the coast of Panay)

IN THE FORESTS

Amani kable - ancient Tagalog anito of hunters.

Makaboteng - Tinggian spirit guardian of deer and wild hogs.

WHEN REARING A FAMILY

Mingan - goddess of the early Pampangos mate of the god Suku (Consorts of the gods fall under the " guardian" category)

Katambay - guardian anito for individuals, a kind of inborn guardian angel of the Bicols.

Malimbung - a kind of Aphrodite of the Bagobos This goddess made man crave for sexual satisfaction

Tagbibi- diwata protector of children of the mountain tribes of Mindanao

WHILE AT WAR

Mandarangan and Darago - Bagobo god and goddess of war Mandarangan is believed to reside in the crater of Apo Volcano on a throne of fire and blood

Talagbusao - the uncontrollable Bukidnon god of war who takes the form of a warrior with big red eyes wearing a red garment. This deity can enter a mortal warnor's body and make him fight fiercely to avenge a wrong. But Talagbusao can also drive him to insanity by incessant demand for the blood of pigs, fowls and humans.

AT DEATH

Masiken - guardian of the underworld of the lgorots, whose followers have tails

lbu - queen of the Manobo underworld whose abode is down below at the pillars of the world.

This information came from the following sources: Jocano 1969; de los Reyes 1909; Garvan 1931; Garvan 1941; Cole 1922; Benedict 1916; Dadole 1989; Mallari-Wilson 1968

--

Demetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G. and Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The soul book. GCF Books.

Character Motivations

I tried to go for more external, concrete motivations in this list, but motivations can also be abstract, such as to become brave. If you’re struggling with writer’s block, try combining some of these to see what you come up with.

Your protagonist might desire:

* To rescue/protect a person

* To end a war/conflict

* To find a hidden treasure/location

* To defeat their nemesis

* To solve a mystery

* To fix a dystopian society/expose a dark truth about society

* To break free from captivity

* To return home

* To outwit the devil/make a deal with the devil (or another powerful force)

* To become wealthy/famous/powerful/immortal

Keep reading

Do you have any tips on how to make sure your character stays consistent throughout the book? (especially for a newbie)

Get to know your characters really well before you even start the first draft. It’s a time commitment, but it’s well worth it. If you write the story with an already solid knowledge of who your character is, how they present themselves, what their motivations are, and how they change over the course of the plot, you’ll have a much easier time keeping the character portrayal consistent, as well as interesting. 

I have a couple articles that will help with your character development in the planning/outlining stages of your story:

Ways To Fit Character Development Into your Story

When To Stop Planning

Character Trait Form

Tips On Introducing Characters

Tip On Giving Characters Flaws

As well as some master posts of resources:

Resources For Creating Characters

Resources For Describing Characters

Questions I’ve answered:

Having Trouble Connecting To Your Characters?

Giving Characters Bad Traits

On Making Scenes/Characters Unpredictable

Showing Vs. Telling And Characters

Keeping Characters From Sounding Identical

And finally, some prompt lists to inspire you:

31 Days Of Character Development: Wordsnstuff May Writing Challenge

Interview As Your Character

beside you is the safest place 😴

Eremin?

Yesssss my otp

Eremin Headcanons

Eren will not stop touching Armin, like cuddling, hand holding, pulling Armin into his lap

Eren is so protective of Armin, it's so cute

Eren loves Armins hair and was super sad when he cut it

Every Friday they order Chinese food, make a pillow fort, cuddle and watch movies until they get tired

Eren used to call Armin a princess when they were little because he thought he looked like how they were described

They used to play a game where Armin was the princes and Eren was the knight that saved him from his tower

Carla always knew they were going to grow up to be in love

They cuddle all the time, even before they started dating, and before they realized they liked eachother

Eren figured out that he was gay when his ex girlfriend, Historia, was like, you're in love with your best friend and he denied it for like 3 years

Armin found out he was bi when he saw Eren in a tux for some party and by the end of the night he was in Mikasa's room inning bc he was in love with his best friend

They got together one night at a summer party in between the 8th and 9th grade when they had a steamy make out session while drunk

Eren has been caught multiple times staring at Armins butt while going up the stairs

Once for valentine's day, Eren gave Armin a promise ring that was the same color green as his eyes and Armin has never taken it off

When they argue they use Mikasa and Annie as middle men

They never say ’i love you’, they say’im in love with you'

I lovvvvvee them, remember, requests are always open

Reading all 19 days chapters in two days, I actually got to understand the plot a bit better. At first I didn’t understand why Old Xian was giving us less and less zhanyi content, I used to think it was because they were the characters she started the story with, so she needed more time to make us appreciate the other two boys (Mo Guan Shan and He Tian). Then I understood that there seemed to be less strips focused on Zhan Zheng Xi and Jian Yi only because I didn’t see much of a progress in their relationship, while tianshan were constantly growing.

Well, of course they were.

My otp in this manhua is zhanyi and I think that’s clear to everyone read my previous posts, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy tianshan’s dynamics. Still, the reason why I just absolutely adore zhanyi is that they alreayd have a solid bond. They communicate, they talk about their feelings, they are open with each other, they are comfortable with each other’s touch. Zhan Zheng Xi is often compared to Mo Guan Shan in terms of couples members, but he shows love and affection toward Jian Yi in almost every strip. He cuddles him, he doesn’t mind Jian Yi sleeping over him, he hugs him, he smiles often when they are together and he says things like “I want to get stronger so that I can protect you”, which is a proper declaration of love. Honestly it’s not like they need anything else to be an actual couple rather than just come in terms with their feelings. Jian Yi may seem fine with the fact that he’s gay but may I remember you the scene where he asked Zhan Zheng Xi if he was to be considered abnormal? Or all of the times he clearly showed to think that being gay was something shameful, something his friends and Xixi himself would have probably found weird and absurd. At the same time Zhan Zheng Xi is the one who told him that no, he was not abnormal, the one who hugged him when he was crying for the shame he felt after kissing him, the one who asked him straight (lol) if he liked him, if it was that kind of like. Zhan Zheng Xi seems fine with the idea of homosexuality, insofar as a fourteen year old Chinese guy can be. What he has not come in terms with are his own feelings. When he talks to Xiao Hui, he asks her “Must there be only like and dislike in human emotions?”. I’m not sure what he meant, but I personally think that he hasn’t understood what loving someone means and all the ways you can love a person: he loves his little sister and his parents, he loves his friends and he loves Jian Yi. All these relationships are different, but how can you say which one is romantic love? How is it different? Maybe because you want to have sex with that special someone? He may be asexual (he probably is? I don’t know). So what? When and why do his feelings toward Jian become different from the one he feels toward his family and friends?

So the point now is for them to understand their selves and each other completely. It’s a slow process, especially if we consider the one-year-gap when Jian Yi got kidnapped.

He Tian and Mo GuanShan are a different story. Of course Mo Guan Shan is not ready to admit to himself he’s attracted to guys (or at least to He Tian), but that is not the main problem at all. Their relationship didn’t start as a relationship, it started as a gross blackmailing in which the victim got at least payed for his service. I’m sorry to say this, but if I didn’t I would be disrespecting all the people who have been in a toxic and violent relationship and are now reading this. I know that He Tian cares for Mo Guan Shan and fell in love with him as the time passed, he even apologised for his attitude, but their dynamics are still far from heatlhy. They came to trust each other, Mo even managed to confide in him and finding his presence something reassuring and He Tian showed us he would do anything for him and to protect him. I also understand that for someone who grew up the way He Tian did it is not easy to become a saint all at once, just like that. Mo Guan Shan isn’t a saint either by the way. We can’t just ignore He Tian’s creepy background (besides, he still lives a pretty savage family situation). He changed if we consider how he used to behave in the earlier times but I still would not recommend a long-term romantic relationship with someone like that. At the same time I know that if sometimes he pushes way too much is also because he knows that Mo doesn’t always mean everything he says and does. He proved to care about him and to have a huge crush on him and even to feel attraction to him, but he still would deny everything at any time.

So of course the later strips are more focused on the two of them: they are the ones who need to grow up the most.

Hey there! I saw your comment on my post and I just wanted to thank you a bunch for it. It really brightened up my day hearing you liked it + I was able to successfully convey fluff through music ^^

I'm so glad it brightened up your day! After I heard your song, I immediately read Saccharine and was like Yup yup it definitely suits the fic! I know it's not for the fic but listening to it before reading it is such an experience! You're so cool :]